The Guardians, Wise and Bright
by The Author Challenger Muse
Summary: It's about time for the Final Seal to be broken. Dean's been kidnapped, possibly naked and Castiel stuggles between trying to find Dean and wanting to tell Sam the truth about Lilith. Will the Guardians become good again before the Final Seal is broken?


**The Guardians, Wise and Bright**

Summary:

Dean's standing there with nothing but a sheet and a dog collar. Sam asks why. Cas wonders why his vessel's heart is beating faster and Dean blames his current state on them – The Guardians

Notes:

Castiel still got dragged back to bible camp but it was before he could reach Dean in his dreams so Dean doesn't know about his brother drinking demon blood and neither Winchester knows that Cas is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place

* * *

Dean sat up in bed, wide awake and his gun already in his hand. He automatically glanced to the bed beside his, not surprised to see it still made and Sam absent. His brother was absent most nights now but before he could dwell on that thought he heard someone screaming. Hunter instincts kicking in he quickly dressed and grabbed Ruby's knife. Between the two weapons he felt slightly better about going into something blind. What he saw was…death.

Bodies littered the road in one direction, presumably marking the path of the two women who were currently torturing some teenage guy that was no doubt now regretting so many piercings as his torturers were now ripping them out one by one.

"Let this be a lesson to those other idiots who think ten or twenty piercings sounds like a good idea," the blonde woman said, only flicking two of her fingers before another piercing ripped itself free. Her grey eyes stared down at him as if he was nothing. No more important to her than an ant on the sidewalk underneath her feet.

"Ewww." The other woman who had long black hair made a face. "That's just nasty." Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "I bet you're wishing you weren't such a douche right now huh? That you hadn't raped that girl that rejected you," she whispered to him with a grin.

He was in too much pain to respond with anything else but a scream.

"Hey!" Dean shouted at them.

Neither woman paid him any attention.

"You know, they say if there's enough emotion behind the death-causing injury that it stays with you," the dark-haired woman told him. "Why don't you let us know how that goes?"

The other woman closed her fist and yanked her hand back.

Whatever happened to him caused an explosion of blood in his pants and lower intestines.

Blue eyes glanced over at her companion. "A bit much, don't you think?"

She huffed, "Wanted to make sure he died."

The woman laughed. "Double hit huh?"

"HEY!" Dean shouted again at the pair.

This time they both looked over at him…and smiled.

"Aww, look Andy," she pointed at him, glancing back happily at the blonde. "It's a wee little hunter man."

He glared at them and cocked his gun, pointing it at them. "You two made a big mistake in coming here."

Andy raised a brow in obvious amusement. "On the contrary, you're the one who made a mistake in confronting us." Suddenly her grey eyes began to glow with power. She tilted her head as she stared at him. "Interesting." She stretched her arm and hand out toward him.

Somehow he knew his gun wouldn't do anything but he shot at her anyway because he didn't think she'd let him close enough to use the knife. To his surprise the bullet exploded halfway to her. He didn't have time to do anything else before a white glow enveloped everything and suddenly his body was in excruciating pain before he blacked out.

When the glow faded it revealed a young part husky, part wolf with pitch black fur lying on top of a bundle of clothes, one gun and knife beside it.

* * *

It was early the following morning when Sam finally returned to the motel, not having noticed anything unusual since all the dead bodies had long been cleaned off the street by the beings they had been killed by. The only thing that caught Sam's attention was that Castiel was sitting on Dean's unmade bed holding what looked like his brother's clothes along with his gun and Ruby's knife. Upon further inspection he determined his brother wasn't in the motel room.

"Sam," Castiel as usual said his name as a way of greeting. "Your brother is gone."

He tensed. "Gone? Gone where?"

The angel looked back down at the clothes in his hands. "We believe he was taken by the Guardians."

Sammy frowned. "The Guardians of what?"

"The Guardians are immortal beings that guard one of the seals," he explained. "If they've left it could only mean that they've been corrupted which means the demons are free to go after the seal."

"Okay, so why are you holding Dean's clothes?" The hunter asked.

Castiel looked up at him. "This was all that was left of him when I came. It was on the ground not too far from the last mutilated body in the street so I assume he must have tried to stop them."

His eyes widened, worried. "I thought you said Dean was still alive."

"He is."

Sam relaxed slightly. "So why leave his clothes and stuff then?"

The angel frowned slightly. "That is something I do not know."

Then the hunter frowned. "Wait, you said you found them near a dead body? Where was this?"

"Not too far from here. I imagine he heard the screaming of one of their victims and took off." Knowing that obviously Sam hadn't seen them he added, "Of course by now they've probably already cleaned up their mess. They've always been quite efficient."

"At killing people," Sammy asked, indignant.

"At cleaning up their own mess."

Of course it was only now that it finally occurred to him that not only was his brother taken captive but apparently taken captive naked.

* * *

Dean awoke on what he quickly realized was a dog bed and stood up only to discover standing meant standing on four legs. What the hell? He looked down at himself and saw paws, the legs and paws of some sort of dog.

"Dean Winchester," a feminine voice spoke from somewhere above him.

He looked up the see the dark-haired woman from before lying on top of the Queen bed, watching him. What did you do to me? He tried to demand but it only came out as barking and growling.

She laughed. "You should be grateful Dean. As long as you're in that form you won't be bothered by dreams of hell."

The hunter-turned-dog growled.

"Come on, it won't be so bad. We'll make sure you're well-groomed, take you out for walks, play catch in the park and maybe, if you're good, we'll even take you out hunting."

The door opened and Dean rushed toward it but it was closed shut before he got there, causing him to skid across the floor to the feet of Andy as he tried to stop.

The blonde smiled in amusement. "I see you're doing well in your new form."

He growled again but made no move to bite her. The bullet from his gun hadn't even made it to her. He doubted his teeth would be any different.

She rubbed his head and briefly scratched behind his ears before going over to the bed and sitting beside her companion.

Dean shook his head, disturbed that he had not only just been pet but that he'd actually enjoyed it. He turned his head to glare at his tail. Damn thing just had to wag when that thing had scratched behind his ears. When he glanced back over at the women the blue-eyed one was still lying down though now facing him and the grey-eyed woman was now running her fingers through the other woman's hair.

"I suppose since we know who you are its only fair we introduce ourselves." The blonde said. "My name is Andrea Claramond and this is my partner Atlanta Raylene. We are The Guardians." Andrea smiled when the wolf-dog merely stared at them. "It's okay if you don't know what that means. Part of the definition will probably become null and void soon enough."

* * *

It turned out there was a really good reason that Castiel was holding Dean's clothes. The angel sensed the Guardian's magic in them as if Dean himself had been the target, which worried him because the power of the Guardians was quite strong. Certainly considerably stronger than his own. He'd been lucky to grab the clothes before they had cleaned up though. They'd help in finding Dean since while the clothes held traces of the Guardians' magic it also held Dean's new signature in them. Unfortunately, the only thing he could tell from it was that Dean was no longer in human form which was decidedly more troublesome than helpful. It also didn't help that he was specifically ordered not to inform the younger Winchester of his brother's change in form. Apparently he'd have to search for the hunter on his own, something he was glad he wasn't forbidden from doing. Then again, it was probably part of his brothers' plans. There was nothing he could do about that though. He had failed to inform Dean before they had caught him and now it was far too late.

* * *

Dean would never admit it out loud but there were worse things than being a pet to Andy and Atlanta. The blue-eyed guardian had not been lying when she said he wouldn't dream of hell in this form. And it wasn't like they were even torturing him. They truly treated him like a pet; an intelligent pet but a pet nonetheless. He received treats when he was good and was actually put on a leash that kept him from moving from the corner he was banished to when he was bad. Just to see what would happen he behaved for one day and had received a steak in his bowl as a result. After that he decided maybe he should pretend to be obedient so they'd let down their guard and he could escape. Then again, where would he go? He was some sort of wolf-dog mutt, had no clue where he was and even if he did he had no idea where Sam was or how he could contact him. Hell, even if he found his brother how was he going to convince Sammy he wasn't really a dog? Maybe Cas…could he even call Cas in this form? Would the angel hear him? Prayers weren't always said out loud but would it even sound human to Castiel or come out in dog? He internally sighed when after praying no angel had showed up.

* * *

Sam cursed the angel when Castiel didn't come when he called and so relied on Ruby to help try to track down his brother. Unfortunately Ruby had informed him about the last seal and how Lilith was the one who was going for it. He paused internally as he thought about the choice laid before him: stop Lucifer from rising by killing Lilith or try to find a trail that had most likely gone cold by now in order to find Dean. Sammy prayed that Castiel was at least ignoring him because he was busy searching for Dean as he followed Ruby. The younger Winchester was happy to discover the final seal was the one guard by The Guardians. Maybe he didn't have to choose after all. Surely there'd be clues to where The Guardians went or at least more about them to help him find Dean afterwards.

* * *

Castiel frowned when he heard Dean praying as he was still unable to find him. He watched as Sam went off went Ruby but did nothing to stop him. With the amount of demon blood running through his veins he knew the hunter would never listen to him even if he could interfere.

* * *

Dean was with them in the bedroom when it happened.

Atlanta and Andrea both dropped to their knees, holding their heads as if in pain. But only for a moment. When it was over they both shared a frown. Then they glanced at Dean.

And in his dog form he felt their guilt, sadness and regret.

"You have our apologies Dean Winchester," The dark-haired woman said seriously, head bowed.

Andy's hand glowed and she extended it out toward him.

He backed up into a wall, surprised when he became to glow and instead of feeling pain he simply blacked out.

The Guardian lowered her hand and glanced away from the naked man now lying on the floor. "We must find Sam Winchester before he frees Lucifer but before we do..."

Atlanta tilted her head before she nodded. "Agreed. The angel Castiel must be brought to safety."

And in the blink of an eye, the two of them were gone.

* * *

Sam was frustrated. Of course he should've known getting to the final seal wouldn't be easy but he had thought The Guardians were the only line of defense. How wrong he was for just beyond the gates the pair had guarded was the opening to a cave that seemed to have an endless amount of tunnels and directions to choose from. He worried he wouldn't be in time to stop Lilith but tried to calm himself so as to try to find some way or telling the tunnels apart. Sammy didn't want the demon, woman he had completely drained, to be in vain. The sudden bright light illuminating from one of the tunnels made him turn and run toward it. He didn't notice Ruby hesitating before following him.

* * *

The last thing he expected to see when he opened his eyes was Castiel standing over him, head tilted as he stared down at him. He shivered unexpectedly and looked down only to realize he was naked. Green eyes met blue and he automatically reached out to grab the sheet off the bed, pulling it off to cover himself. The hunter couldn't quite bring himself to speak so he settled for glaring at the angel who was still staring at him unblinkingly. He'd never admit the way he flushed or how a certain part of his lower anatomy twitched at the question of how long Cas had stood there staring. Pretending he wasn't bothered or embarrassed, because he was NOT embarrassed, he asked gruffly, "What the hell took you so long?"

Castiel had been surprised when he felt himself being summoned but taken aback when instead of appearing to whoever was summoning him he had felt a foreign power wrap around him. Sensing the lack of ill intentions or corrupt darkness he had not fought as it pushed him through a barrier that had landed him here in a bedroom. He had easily spotted Dean crumpled up on the floor, human again and stretched out his senses to determine the location of The Guardians. They were gone. And if their actions to bring him to Dean were any indication, most likely the pair had purified what had once corrupted them and had probably returned to protect the final seal. He hoped they succeeded. "The Guardians are no longer corrupted."

The hunter frowned. "What are they exactly?"

He frowned and looked away for a moment before his eyes met Dean's again. "They are the immortal beings that guard the final seal."

His eyes widened. "So when you said they were corrupted you mean the demons did it so they could spring Lucifer from the cage?" Dean stood up, wrapping the sheet around his waist. Then his eyes narrowed as he noticed the angel was looking elsewhere again. Like he was nervous or had something he didn't wanna say. "Cas?" He called.

Castiel looked at him, unknowingly using his sad puppy eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?"

The barrier surrounding the complex that appeared to be The Guardian's establishment was still active. Therefore he knew none of the other angels could find it. So surely it was safe to tell Dean what he had found out. After all, he couldn't lie to him. Well, he could but was it really necessary? At this point there was nothing either of them could do. "Lilith is waiting for Sam at the location where the final seal must be broken. If your brother kills Lilith, it will turn him into something he won't be able to come back from." Worry and sorrow were slightly apparent on his face as he added, "And Lilith's death will break the seal and free Lucifer."

* * *

"NOOOOO!" Sam shouted as Ruby's borrowed body dropped to the ground, the demon inside completely destroyed.

Atlanta's left eye twitched. "Oh great, the younger Winchester really IS a girl."

The blonde Guardian looked up from the empty vessel to her companion, slightly amused.

Sammy gripped Ruby's knife and moved forward to stab the black-haired immortal from behind who merely sighed and slouched in more of a I-can't-believe-he's-this-stupid kind of way than in defeat.

Before the knife pierced Atlanta in the back, not that it would do any more damage than it had done to Castiel, Andrea appeared behind him.

* * *

Both Dean and Castiel were surprised when The Guardians simply appeared in the room, the blonde holding Sam by the ear.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go!" He practically whined.

Andy snorted and let go only to raise her hand and chain him to the wall.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Dean asked, standing up with nothing but a sheet around his waist.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, spotting his brother. "Get me out of here!"

Atlanta raised a brow at him, unimpressed.

"Your brother is under the influence of at least," she paused, glancing at him as if measuring something before sharing a look with the other Guardian, "whole demon?"

The dark-haired woman nodded.

She turned to Dean, continuing, "He drained all the blood out of at least one demon so while he may be your brother he is not exactly himself."

With a horrified expression on his face he said, "He drank demon blood?" It wasn't possible. He couldn't-he wouldn't.

"How else do you think he's been building the strength of his powers?" Andrea questioned.

But it was the guilty expression on Castiel's face that really convinced Dean. "You knew?"

"I…" He glanced around the floor, trying to find the words to explain. "I was unaware until quite recently that my brothers' true intentions were to allow Lucifer's freedom," he said, looking up at him quite sadly. His own brothers wanted the world destroyed, the world their Father left them to protect. "I was forbidden from telling you about Sam's activities with the demon. I thought if I pressed the importance of you saving Sam you would've found out on your own and dealt with the problem. Once they became aware that I knew about the Final Seal and that I was coming to tell you they…"

"They tried tortured him and tried to brainwash him," Atlanta spoke up.

The angel glanced off to the side. "They've been keeping a very close watch on me. If I did or said anything hinting at their true intentions..." He grimaced. "They told me they would take you out permanently." Cas paused for a moment. "I would've been surprised they allowed me to search for you if it hadn't been obvious they just wanted me to stay away from Sam."

Dean became less tense as Castiel explained. He understood. Cas had told him about the barrier around The Guardian's place and how angels wouldn't see or hear anything within it. If they weren't still here the angel wouldn't have been able to say anything. "Hey, you did what you could," the hunter said, offering him a smile as he clasped his hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, how touching. Guess you don't need me then, do you Dean?" Sam spat angrily.

The older Winchester glanced at his brother before looking at the Guardians. "Can you fix him?"

The blonde smiled. "I've already infused him with some magic that'll go through his system and destroy all presence of demon blood."

"But like any addict," the black-haired immortal added, "he still needs to resist the urge to have more."

Dean nodded. He'd watch out for his brother just as he always had.

"In the mean time though we can think up a plan on what to do about Lucifer and the angels who all but arranged his release." Andrea told them.

At that both Dean and Castiel looked up.

"Lucifer's free?" The green-eyed hunter asked.

Atlanta grimaced. "It's unfortunate but luckily the apocalypse still can't happen until both Lucifer and Michael gain control over their true vessels. I mean while Lucifer is evil he's still an angel and therefore still needs permission to gain a vessel."

Dean blinked. "Oh. Yeah. I guess evil or not an angel is an angel."

"Which means that he can be killed like any other angel," the blonde Guardian smirked.

The other Guardian smiled at her as they high-fived, "Who-sha!"

Castiel blinked. He couldn't believe it'd never occurred to him that Lucifer could be killed in the same way as any other angel. Still, even knowing how to kill him they still had to get close enough to do so. But if anyone could succeed, it was Dean.

"Dean?"

Everyone glanced toward Sam who was now looking exhausted as the demon blood continued to be cleansed from his system.

"Why are you naked and wearing a dog collar?"

The older Winchester blushed while the Guardians burst out laughing. He'd gotten used to the collar and so hadn't noticed it despite being changed back.

Cas stared at the collar curiously for a moment before his eyes scanned the hunter's nearly naked form. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before but it still made his vessel's heart beat faster.

"Hey! Those- they turned me into a dog," he replied in his defense.

"And weren't you just the cutest little puppy," the black-haired immortal said using a baby voice while she rubbed the top of his head.

"Would you knock it off!" Dean glared at her. Then he felt a chill under the moving sheet wrapped around his waist. He glanced back and groaned. "Oh come on!" Attached to his butt under the sheet was a dog tail, wagging.

Atlanta snickered. "Sorry. Couldn't resist." She snapped her fingers, causing it to disappear.

Andrea gave her a look of amusement. She knew the woman had long since tired of their job and was looking forward to doing something new and exciting. Their first project, teaching the angel how to carry around a portable barrier to keep him off of Heaven and Hell's radars. Their first unofficial job, keeping their group's spirits up. Between Lucifer, the general demon and monster populations and the angels rooting for the end of the world, this group would certainly need it. Maybe their team would even come up with a name. Hm… Only time would tell.

* * *

**In all probability, the end. Honestly, I don't know. My whole idea was that I thought the Final Seal shouldn't have been so easy to break even if Heaven and Hell were cooperating. I hate that my idea took the whole Castiel having Dean pressed up against a wall scene but hey, in my attempt to make up for it I made Dean do pretty much the whole fic practically naked even if he was a dog for part of it. And I did my best to insert Destiel hints because I love the pairing but apparently this was the best I could do. My stories tend to do what they want. Anyway, there might be a sequel to this or I might just leave it as Complete and randomly add a chapter in the future or I might do absolutely nothing else with it. I really want an excuse to see if I could write Gabriel/Loki and this story would be perfect for that but, I make no promises. **

* * *

**My First and Only**

Summary:

Samantha married Darrin but centuries before when she was a teen, she was in love with someone else. Someone she believed to be long dead. What happens when Samantha's first love re-enters her life?

**A Bewitched femslash fan fiction for those who are interested. It's already finished of course or else I wouldn't bother saying I'm going to post it. It's a multi-chapter but it's still rather short. I'll post the first chapter today.**

* * *

**Coming Soon:**

**I'm His Angel**

Summary:

Season 6, after Dean refuses to stand by him Castiel travels back in time to when Dean was still in his mother's womb and says what he couldn't say to present Dean

* * *

**_The "Cousins a Couple Times Removed" Sequel: _**My best friend got Season 7 for Christmas so we've started watching it; I've started brainstorming, making notes and such. Since I've also been watching Season 8 on TV I've decided that my story will end before Season 8 or will have changed so much by then that it probably won't really be following cannon at all.

**Happy New Years everyone :D**

**Oh, and one last thing...I have my Supernatural Forum up so if anyone wants a challenge they're plenty to choose from in there**


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